Breakers doing fine in league

A strong push in the fourth quarter of Wednesday night’s game against Calvary Chapel carried the Laguna Beach girls’ basketball team to its third Orange Coast League victory.

The Breakers outscored the visiting Eagles, 19-4, in the final quarter and rode that explosive finish to a 42-29 win at Dugger Gym.

It was the start of the second round of league play for both teams.

Laguna has won both league meetings against Calvary Chapel. On Jan. 11, the Breakers won at Calvary Chapel, 58-53, in the league opener for both teams.

The Breakers are now 3-1 in league and in second place. They are 7-10 overall.

“The girls played very hard, like always, and outscored Calvary in the fourth quarter, which was obviously the difference in the game,” Laguna Coach Jon Hendrickson said. “It was a team effort tonight as every girl pulled their weight and clutched up when we needed them to.”

Tess Grogan scored 11 points, and Emily Writer added 10 to pace Laguna. Lauren Kelly chipped in eight points, Emily LaRose had seven and Sam Garner finished with six to complete the scoring.

Previously, Laguna picked up its second league win by defeating host Estancia, 47-42, on Jan. 18.

The Breakers did it the hard way, rallying from 13 down in the second quarter and using a 14-6 advantage in the third to post the win.

However, the win came at a cost as Writer, a freshman starter, sprained an ankle early in the fourth quarter and with five minutes to play, Laguna suffered another blow when Grogan “” a senior point guard and the team’s leading scorer “” fouled out with the Breakers nursing a four-point lead.

Hendrickson said at that point, Writer, who had her shoe off and ankle on ice, decided to go back into the game.

“It was a huge lift for our team,” Hendrickson said. “We needed her ball-handling skills and knowledge on the court.”

With five seconds left, Writer was fouled with Laguna clinging to a three-point lead. Facing a one-and-one situation, she calmly sank both free throws to seal the victory.

Writer finished with eight points. The Breakers were led in scoring by Garner and Kelly with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Grogan and LaRose each scored six points, and Katie Daff had two.

The Breakers continue league play today with a 6 p.m. tip-off at Costa Mesa. They will host Estancia at 6 p.m. Wednesday.